The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-02-24

was the right end ofher, unless she was
running, and then you only knew be
cause you were certain that she would
never run backwards. She was such
shapeless little lump Of caninenity, that
you were liable, at times, to take her
for any thing fluffy-a mop, door mat,
muff, bundle Of rags, an old bonnet.
any thing.
As long as Fidget was with us we al.
ways knew what our ncighbors had for
dinner on the previous day. She used
to scour the adjoining back yards and
gardens, and bring home all the loosa
bones that might be lying round, and
deposit them on the mat outside our
front door. One day l found there the
whole skeleton of turkey, two chop
bones and shin of beef, besides frag-
ments of dried toast, buckwheat cakes,
corn mullins and cold potatoes. It was
the holiday season and the folks had
evidently been living well in my Sec
ton, and Fidget had been industrious.
Iwell remember her short bark of de-
light when opened the door, and she
directed enc end of her body towards
me, which 1 knew to be her bow, SO to
speak, from two little, glistening,
brown dots hidden under tangle of
long hair, which I recognized as her
eyes, and another little black dot be-
tween them, which represented her
nose. remember, too, the indescriba-
BILE wiggle of her whole body, which
passed with her for tail wagging, and
the extraordinary cyclone of gyrations,
till she gyrated herself off the top of the
stoop, and with yelp at each bump,
landed sober. but serene. at the bottom.
When Fidget was not foraging round
in the neighbors' yards, she frequently
entertained her friends on the front
stoop-all the ragtag and bobtail kiyus.
as well as the aristocratic settlers and
Newfoundlands, in the neighborhood.
One day 1 was disturbed by a furious
barking and general commotion in front
of the house, and. on going to the door,
discovered our rector's wife kept at bay
at the front gate by a strange pack of
hounds, comprising spotted coach dog,
spitz, black, shaggy beast of some
unknown variety, and small 'yaller"
dog, all friends of Fidget. The poor
lady, found. had a peculiar dread of
dogs, so her feelings may be imagined,
but my rage and indignation can not.
To think of my visitors, and the minis
ter's wife at that, being driven from the
door by a ragamuffin volunteer guard,
of strangers. o, it was too much! 1;
prove the guard away, punished Fidget,
and apologized to the lady.
My children had little wagon to
which they harnessed Fidget. By pa
tient training they managed to run
their them round the garden sometimes
without accident. Grown confident
with this success, ambition soon fol-
lowed, and they longed for wider field
of action. One day my wife sent them
to the grocery at the corner of the
street, about hundred and fifty yards
off, to make few purchases. They
harnessed Fidget to the wagon, and
trotted down to the store in style and
safety. In about fifteen minutes they
returned, my son carrying Fdget and
the shattered wagon in his arms, and
my little daughter, with her apron and
little hand piled up with burst and
broken packages of groceries. That
was the last time Fidget was used for
the express business. They had loaded
up the wagon, Fidget had seen friend
across the street, and there was an end
of it.
l afterward removed to the village
hotel, where Fidget's habit of inviting
her friends into the premises caused
the landlord some annoyance. One
day she disappeared, and l never saw
her again. I sadly fear there was foul
play somewhere-kidnaping, or per-
haps worse. Poor little Fidget! she was
the last dog that ever owned me-
Frdnk BelleU, in Golden Davs.